Monday 12th August - Friday 16th August 2002
Prague, Czech Republic

Session 5: Contexts of Violence

Martha Apostolidou - The Role of Health education in the Prevention of Violence in the Family
Health Education Lecturer in Pre-primary and Lower Primary Teacher Education, Frederick Institute of Technology, Cyprus.

Recent research by the present writers with a purpose-built questionnaire has revealed that although serving teachers now rate domestic violence as the single most important element in this curriculum, they are still largely unaware of the various psychological and social variables that contribute towards its understanding and prevention. Thus, as revealed by the same research, they accord little importance within the Health Education curriculum to such relevant variables as self-esteem, self-image, self-respect, self-control, and tolerance.

After describing appropriate areas of this research, the paper focuses upon these variables and outlines some of the ways in which they are linked to domestic violence and to its prevention.

Suruchi Thapar-Bjorkert - ‘Killing Fields’; Gender, Caste and Violence in North India
Department of Sociology, University of Bristol, 12 Woodland Road, Bristol, BS8 1UQ

This paper examines the intersections between gender, caste and violence in a post-colonial context. The dominant theoretical approaches have shaped perceptions and definitions of violence and provided valuable insights on conceptualising violence. However, gender dynamics within the institution of caste and particularly in relation to caste violence has not been analyzed comprehensively, probably because of the complex and tenuous relationship between the two.

The empirical research draws on recent and ongoing caste conflicts in Bihar, North India . Caste Violence, particularly in the state of rural Bihar (but also in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat) is a reflection of an ineffective state, growing economic inequality and politicisation of caste. The two subordinate groups that are important in the ongoing violence are the backward Castes (shudras) and the ‘Untouchables’ or (depressed classes or scheduled/lower castes or Dalits). Lower caste women are the chief arm bearers and responsible for most of the inter-caste killings (between Dalits and affluent castes such as Bhumiyar and Rajputs) . Their violence is to defend their interests over economic resources (land) but also more importantly to protect their own integrity against sexual violence from the upper caste men. Female sexuality is tied closely with principles of ‘purity and pollution’ and women are symbolically constructed as repositories of honour.

I examine how in specific cultural and historical contexts men, women and children can act as both victims and perpetrators of violence. The complexities involved when women do take up violence moves our analyses beyond a circumscribed understanding of women as ‘vulnerable victims’ and ‘recipients of violent acts’. This research envisages to bridge the gap between the ways in which violence is lived and experienced with the epistemology of violence, that is, the ways of knowing and reflecting about violence.

Miri Cohen - Identification of Elderly People at High Risk of Abuse or Neglect by their Care-Givers
The Faculty for Social Welfare and Health Studies, Haifa University, Haifa, and Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel

Background: The problem of abuse of the elderly has not received appropriate attention. A large proportion of incidents of elderly abuse are not identified, because of a lack of awareness and alertness in professional teams. In addition, professional tools for identifying elders at risk are scarce.

Aims: 1) To develop a new tool for identifying elders at risk for abuse on the basis of the “Indicators of Abuse” (IOA) constructed by Reis & Nahmiash (1998) and to examine its applicability as a diagnostic tool. 2) To determine characteristics of elders at risk who are hospitalized in a general hospital.
Methods: A questionnaire was formulated on the basis of the IOA. The new questionnaire was examined for its validity and reliability (?=.92). 40 People aged 70 and older who were hospitalized in the internal departments of a general hospital were screened along with their principal caregivers.

Results: The preliminary results confirm the existence of four categories of abuse: physical (15.8%), psychological (21.0%), financial exploitation (36.8%) and neglect (34.2%). The indicators of abuse distinguished between elders who were abused from those who were not. Poor financial situation of the caregivers, numerous hospitalizations of the elders, and a low level of albumin in the blood of the elders were found to be additional indicators of abuse.

Conclusions: The preliminary results indicate that the new tool distinguishes with statistical significance between abused and not abused elders and it will supply the medical and para-medical professions with a diagnostic tool, and will improve the treatment given to these elders.

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